Yogi Adityanath Government To Promulgate Ordinance To Regulate Fees In Schools 

The Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet on Tuesday (3 April) approved the draft of Self-Financed Independent Schools (Regulation of Fees) Bill 2018 in a bid to clamp down on schools that charge exorbitant fees from students.

Since the state legislature is not in session at the moment, the government has reached a decision to promulgate an ordinance to implement the provisions of the proposed Bill from the present academic session. Following the Cabinet's nod, it will be sent to the Governor so that it can be promulgated in an Ordinance form.

All CBSE, ICSE, UP Board-run private schools, including minority institutions, upto class XII, charging Rs 20,000 or more as school fees on a yearly basis, will be subject to the new ordinance. It stipulates that no private school can charge admission fees every year or the entire fees at once. The ordinance mandates that the student has to pay the admission fees only once – at the time admission, except in case of enrolments of class X pass-outs, who need to pay the admission fee once again.

The ordinance has also made it necessary for all schools to upload the statement of total fees realised online at their websites by 31 December every year in order to ensure transparency in fee regulation. Balance sheets will also have to be uploaded by school managements.

Another key decision of the Cabinet is the setting up of Fee Regulation Committees at the commissioner level in all zones across the state. The Committee will have all legal power with regard to resolutions of fee-related disputes.

Many schools across the country, however, justify the high fees with the compulsion to fulfil the monstrous Right To Education (RTE) Act’s requirements.

Also Read: Fee Hikes: Parents, Fight Against The RTE And Not Schools